Air-diffusing apparatus.



C H. NORDELL.

AIR DIFFUSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIZ. 191].

1,28 1,1 6, Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

.AIR-DIFFUSING APPARATUS.

" irnn sraras cAnL H. NORDELL, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Kay 12, 1917. Serial No. 168,094.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, CARL H. NORDELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Diffusing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. I

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for introducing relatively fine bubbles of gas into a body of sewage or other liquid, and a particular application of the invention is found in connection with the activated sludge process of treating sewage.

As set out in Patent No. 1208821 granted to me December 19th, 1916, I have found that a most efficient medium for diffusing air bubbles of a'sufliciently minute nature comprises a slab or slabs ofwood cut transversely of the grain, whereby transverse minute passages for the air are defined by the fibers of the wood.

Sewage treating operations require a relatively large difiusing surface, and I have found that the use of a plurality of rather small slabs is preferable.

It is therefore, primarily my object to provide an eflicient means for securing the slabs of wood in place, and it is more particularly an object to provide an arrangement whereby the blocks may be all disposed in abutting relation to procure a complete expanse of diffusing surface and wherein the blocks are efiiciently braced to prevent their possible breakage or displacement due to the various pressures encounteredin operation.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, formation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsz' Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view I through a diffusing bed constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the diffusing bed, with the blocks at one end thereof removed to show the bottom of the container.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5 designates a block of concrete or other material forming Patented Got. 15, 1918.

the bottom of a tank A and having its top face longitudinally concaved and inset inwardly of its edges to form an air distributing chamber 6, the side walls of which are adapted to be abuttingly engaged by the adjacent edges of a plurality of diffusing blocks '7 disposedtherein, the blocks being held in the mouth portion of the chamber and spaced from the bottom thereof by series of transverse ribs 6at the sides of the bottom of the opening. Thus a distributing chamber is defined between the blocks and the bottom of the opening, and for supplythe bottom of the chamber 6 are curved to correspond to the curvature .of said bottom and of the top face of the block 5, and consequently the blocks 7 disposed in the opening assume an arcuate contour. In assembling the bed, the blocks 7 are fitted withinthe chamber 6 and are so proportioned with re- ,spect thereto as to snugly'close the mouth of the chamber. Water is then poured over said blocks, which conse'ouentlv' swell and thus exert a considerable pressure against each other and against the side edges of the chamber which serves to provide an effectual air tight seal for thedistributing chamber heretofore mentioned. I

By this arrangement the entire expanse of the bed may be utilized for diffusing operations. Air pressure strains on the bed are. effectually resisted by the arcuate' arrangement'of the blocks, whereby the blocks are mutually braced, and water pressure strain on these blocks is resisted by their seating engagement on the ribs 6, which are relatively numerous.

positioned to form an arch, said blocks being disposed in said recess in the member, the curvature of said arch conforming to the curvature of the bottom of 'said recess, curved spacing ribs disposed between the plurality of blocks and the bottom of said'recess, and means for admitting air be tween the blocks and the bottom of said recess.

2.- A liquid container having means for aerating the liquids therein, said means comprising a member having a recess provided with a concave bottom, a plurality of difiusing blocks disposed edge to edge and posidisposed in said recess in the membenthe curvature of said arch conforming, to the curvature of the bottom of said-recess,--

means for spacing the blocksfrom said botvtioned to form an arch, said bIocI isbeing 15 tom of the recess, and means for admitting 20 air between the blocks and the bottom of the recess.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of. 25

Wisconsin.

' CARL H. NORDELL. 

